Schoolchildren in a middle school in Illinois have been deprived of their religious freedom after a Baptist minister was barred from meeting them during lunch hour following a complaint filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheists' group, which claimed that such a meeting is unconstitutional.
The FFRF sent a letter to Superintendent Michael Gauch to complain that the Harrisburg Middle School allowed a Baptist pastor to meet kids during lunch. The parents of the schoolchildren allowed their kids to join through permission slips to "meet occasionally with a youth minister representing the Baptist denomination during lunch break at the middle school."
The FFRF opposed this, claiming that the activity violated the Establishment Clause.
"It is inappropriate and unconstitutional for the district to offer religious leaders access to befriend and proselytize students during the school day on school property. No outside adults should be provided carte blanche access to minors — a captive audience — in a public school," the atheists' group said in a letter to Gauch.
In his first reply, Gauch told the FFRF that he was new to the school district and he was unaware of what happened before he took over.
He told them that the Board of Education would decide on the matter and not him.
"I have been working with our legal counsel to prepare our school board on this issue so that this might be addressed at an upcoming Board of Education meeting. The Board of Education, and not myself, will have to take action to discontinue the practice described in your letter," he said.
The atheists sent another letter to Gauch, demanding to know the decision of the education board.
In his reply, Gauch told them, "Please be advised that the Board of Education did consider the matter of a local minister meeting with students during lunchtime last semester."
"Following the school board's directive, school administration instructed the local minister that he would no longer be allowed to come onto school property and meet with students during the lunchtime or anytime during the instructional day," he told them.
